“So? How did things end up like this?” Rae sighed, bandaging up his older brother who wore an irritable look. When he came back home, Leo was on his butt and cradling his wounded forehead. On the other hand, the girl, who was supposed to be sleeping on their spare bed, was awake and holding a basin.
‘If I knew this was going to happen, I would have hurried home sooner to watch,’ Rae chuckled silently. His brother, who had never lost to anyone in combat, was beaten by a girl with a basin. It must have been a hilarious sight to see.
“That wench tried to seduce me! And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, she started beating me up! Hey, are all women this crazy?” Leo shook his leg angrily.
“Don’t call me wench, you impertinent pervert!” Renee yelled back.
“Impert- I am not impertinent!”
‘You’re really gonna skim over the fact she called you a pervert?’ Rae raised his eyebrows.
----
« Half an hour ago »
Tick tick tick tick-
The sound of the clock was deafening. The two people in the room who was still staring at each other did not utter a single word. Leo was caught off guard and still had his hand hovering in the air. And Renee, still not fully awake, was unsure where she was and who the man in front of her is.
“ … A- am I still dreaming?” her voice was hoarse, evident that she had not used it in a while.
“N- no?” Leo hesitated.
Realizing the person in front of her was not in fact a hallucination but an actual person, her eyes widened. Renee sat up quickly, only to be met with a flash of pain coursing through her body.
“AH!” she hissed, holding on to her chest.
‘Chest? Wait-‘
She looked down to see that she was wearing a thin, green robe. It didn’t fit her petite figure- probably twice in terms of the size. The neckline was loose and because of her rapid movement, fell off her shoulders.
And then, she saw it- the bandages wrapped around her torso. All the memories of what had happened came flooding back to her mind.
‘That’s right. I became a dragon and my fiancé … stabbed me-’
She activated her dragon curse, chased out by the man she had feelings for, and has now become a fugitive. She couldn’t even go back to Epidote. Her father will not hesitate to bring down the axe on her neck … just like how he brought it down on her grandmother.
‘Grandmother? Didn’t I-‘
Leo interrupted her thoughts.
“How much longer are you going to keep being shameless like that?” he huffed. The whole time she was muttering to herself, her chest had been bared out to the world. Even if it was bandaged, STILL- What an outrageous woman!
Renee quickly snapped out of it. With a blush spreading across her face, she quickly rewrapped the robe around her body. Then, she realized something went missing.
“My veil… Where’s my veil?” her voice rose, her hands patting her face in panic. Had it been torn when she transformed? No way!
“Veil? What veil?”
“My white veil! Only my betrothed is allowed to see my face!”
It was an Epidotian marriage custom for women to wear a veil throughout her entire engagement. The first person to meet their eyes once they have taken off the veil would be the person they have promised to be with forever. Despite the cold nature of Epidotian royalties, they would still diligently followed their practices.
It didn’t matter to Renee that her marriage was initially built upon lies, she wanted Elias to be the first and only one to have opened that veil and gaze into her eyes.
So, why was the first person she had locked eyes with was that pervert?
“Betrothed? Me? Are you asking me to marry you?” Leo’s eyes bulged. There were women who wanted him before but, he’d never been proposed to.
“Me and you?” Renee pointed her finger back and forth between the two of them. With that primitive brute? She would rather marry a monkey!
“Hate to break it to you, sweetheart. But, you’re not my type. I prefer … curvier woman” he said, giving a glance to her chest.
“YOU RUDE BEAST!” she flustered.
In a burst of anger, she grabbed the nearest object on the bedside table and began hitting the man in front of her. As she began bashing him, she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to keep her emotions in check. Her entire life’s worth of training completely went out of the window.
----
“I’m deeply sorry for my brother’s attitude,” Rae sighed, dropping his head to apologize.
“… It’s alright”
“Rae! Why are you apologizing that wench?”
“Shut up, Leo!”
Renee looked at the two of them and realized she still doesn't know the names of the people who saved her. She adjusted herself to sit up properly.
“May I know the names of my saviors?”
Rae grinned. She called him savior! Surely someone who knows gratefulness could not possibly be a bad person.
“My name is Rae Quinnel and this is muscle head idiot is my older brother, Leo Quinnel”
“Thank you, Rae. For saving my life”
Renee hesitated before adding.
“And the idiot too… I guess… “
“What kind of thanks is that?!”
Leo crossed his arms and pursed his lips.
“Hey, you! You still haven’t told us your name yet. Ain't you think that's kinda rude?” he raised his eyebrows.
Renee bit her lip. Should she tell them her identity? What if they knew she was the princess of Epidote? What if the news about her transforming into a dragon had already reached these parts of the area? Will she be chased out like she was before?
“… My name is R- Ren… “
She didn’t like lying but, this was for her own safety. Until she knows that she could trust them, she would have to keep her identity a secret.
‘Besides, it wasn’t exactly a lie. Ren is part of her name’
“Ren, huh?” Rae rolled her name around his tongue.
“As in, lotus?”
“Lotus?”
“Yea, Ren (蓮) means lotus in our language”
“It means purity, ain't it? What part of you is pure?” Leo scrunched his nose up.
Renee went red with anger and embarrassment. It’s not like she meant to bare herself in front of them!
“Stop picking a fight with her. Are you seven years old?” Rae scolded.
“But-“
“LEO! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO COME FOR THE MEETI-“
Another gentleman came bursting through the front door. His white hair was slicked back into a long ponytail and his ruby-colored eyes were shining brightly, revealing a lively personality. His ears were pointed leaving Renee to believe he might be from the elven race. His breathing was heavy and beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead.
His eyes locking angrily at Leo drifted to the side to the girl whose face was painted in surprise. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her.
“… And, exactly who are you?”
